WWE King of the Ring: Could Chad Gable become King Shorty?

On WWE SmackDown, Chad Gable advanced in the King of the Ring tournament. Could the diminutive dynamo be on his way to becoming “King Shorty”?

WWE has really stepped up their game lately with the return of the King of the Ring tournament. Several superstars have had amazing performances as they advanced into the quarterfinals, but it’s the 5′ 8” Olympian that’s succeeding despite a story at the expense of his height.

In the weeks leading up to his first-round clash with former tag team partner Shelton Benjamin, Chad Gable found himself berated with jokes about his short stature. From the simplest comments all the way to Benjamin’s clever “must be this tall” joke during Gable’s promo on SmackDown, things haven’t only escalated.

However, Chad Gable is on the path to owning that part of him and coming out even stronger than before. There’s certainly precedent with shorter superstars seeing massive success in WWE. Most recently Daniel Bryan, who is only two inches taller than Gable, was WWE Champion until WrestleMania 35.

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On top of that, Rey Mysterio is two inches shorter than even Chad Gable, but he’s a former WWE Champion and former World Heavyweight Champion. For as much as we know Vince McMahon and others in WWE like tall, imposing superstars, there have been those who have reached the top of the mountain in spite of those…shortcomings.

Look, I swear I’m not trying to make short jokes here. It just happens.

While Gable’s win over Shelton Benjamin simply came with a sudden pinning combination, we’ve seen in the past that dominance isn’t needed to walk out on top. People don’t remember the way people win King of the Ring, they remember who wins King of the Ring.

On top of that, it is the sudden nature of Gable’s win over Benjamin that shows exactly why he’s so dangerous. As a prolific amateur wrestler, Chad Gable made a habit of knowing how to keep people on the mat. That habit allowed him to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Now, more determined than ever, Chad Gable is looking to make his mark in WWE. There have been rumblings that WWE intends to rebrand him as “Shorty G,” stemming from reports that WWE had copyrighted the name.

If that’s really the case, Gable could own this by emerging as King Shorty and the new King of the Ring. Of course, there’s a lot in his way before that could happen. He’ll face Andrade in the quarterfinals and would go on to the semifinals against the winner of Ali vs. Elias, if he defeats Andrade.

There’s still plenty of tournament to go, but Chad Gable has a chance to take a name that most think will be the end of him and make it the beginning of an amazing chapter in his career. Keep a weather eye out. King Shorty could be on the horizon.